Review & preview: Premature 2014 poll, part 4

Edward Lee, The Baltimore Sun

Here is the fourth installment of an attempt at a premature poll for next season.

The Top 20 will be broken up into four installments with Tuesday’s post involving teams ranked from Nos. 5 to 1. Thursday featured Nos. 20 to 16, Friday Nos. 15 to 11, and Monday Nos. 10 to 6. Wednesday will include three schools not mentioned in the poll that could make some waves.

Unless there are confirmed reports about certain players planning to use fifth years of eligibility, this space will assume that seniors in 2013 will not return next year. Unannounced fifth-year seniors and potential transfers will affect the rankings that come out next February, but here’s a spin anyway.

Reason for pessimism: A defense that finished the season ranked 10th in Division I (8.3 goals per game) not only graduated Kemp and Miller, but also bid farewell long-stick midfielder Tyler Andersen (28 GB, 9 CT) and short-stick defensive midfielder David Miller (7 GB, 4 CT).

Reason for optimism: With Kavanagh, Scioscia, junior Westy Hopkins (6 G, 3 A) and junior Ryan Mix (3 G, 0 A), the attack could be the strength of the offense next spring.

Reason for optimism: An offense that ranked eighth in the nation in scoring (12.1 goals per game) is anticipating the return of midfielder Tucker Shanley (20 G, 8 A in 2012) and attackman Forrest Sonnenfeldt (17 G, 6 A in 2012) as fifth-year seniors.

Reason for pessimism: Unless there’s a faceoff specialist in the next class of freshman or waiting in the wings, that unit must build on its 42.0 success rate on draws this past spring.

Reason for optimism: The loss of Marasco might not last long with junior attackmen Nicky Galasso (24 G, 32 A at North Carolina in 2011) and Randy Staats (57 G, 82 A at Onondaga Community College in 2012) poised to join the program.

Reason for optimism: An offense that ranked third in the country in scoring (14.1 goals per game) will get a huge lift from the return of junior faceoff specialist and the NCAA tournament’s Most Outstanding Player Brendan Fowler, who set Division I records in faceoff wins (339) and attempts (526) in a season.